


bluebells over the white cliffs of dover

by LaLionne (otayuriistheliteralbest)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adventurer AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Loss, M/M, Pining, SHEITH - Freeform, Songfic, clockmaker au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 23:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12875346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuriistheliteralbest/pseuds/LaLionne
Summary: Shiro went off on an adventure and left Keith behind. He promised to be back soon, but something went wrong on the journey and he disappeared. Years later, Keith is reminiscing and wishing he could have his lover back.Songfic featuring You'll Never Know and The White Cliffs of Dover where Shiro is an adventurer and Keith is a clockmaker.





	bluebells over the white cliffs of dover

**Author's Note:**

> I was given these prompts and (loosely) ran with it:  
> Word count: 950  
> Genre: Military  
> Character: A clock maker  
> Material: Headphones  
> Sentence: "I've been in love with you since years."  
> Bonus: Your character has lost someone dear.
> 
> If you want to listen to the songs with Keith, you can find You'll Never Know [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZtWNlCTc6o) and The White Cliffs of Dover [here]().
> 
> Thank you to Francowitch for betaing for me!! <3

   Keith stood at the turntable in the corner of his work shop, flipping through records until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled it from his sleeve and set it into place. The old record player crackled as the stylus settled into the grooved, well-loved record. The sound fizzled and cracked, and finally a woman’s voice filled the room.   

 

_You’ll never know just how much I miss you_

_You’ll never know just how much I care_

 

   Keith spun around in a lazy circle that wasn’t even a semblance of a dance to the tune of the song, and then started to sing along with the woman; he was off key but there was no one around to hear him sing, so what did it matter? He sunk into his rickety old work chair at a desk that had seen better years in the middle of the workshop and settled reading glasses below the bridge of his nose, peering down into the clock he was repairing. Several of the gears needed to be replaced, and all of it was delicate work. Working clocks of all types and sizes surrounded him on the walls and every available space, ticking away the time.

 

    _And if I tried, I couldn’t hide my love for you_

    _You ought to know, for haven’t I told you so?_

    _A million or more times_

 

   It had been years, now, since Shiro disappeared on him. Went off to find his fortune and hike the tallest peak in the world, and where did that leave Keith? _It’ll just be for a few short months and then I’ll be back,_ he said. _You’ll hardly know I’m gone, and I’ll bring back something special for you._ It didn’t matter that it was Shiro’s job, that the man he loved was always up for an adventure, and the fact that his career as a researcher enabled him to continue to explore the uncharted world? Well, Keith could never fault the man for that.

 

    _You went away and my heart went with you_

    _I speak your name in my every prayer_

 

   It didn’t make the ache in his chest hurt any less, didn’t make the pain of his loss go away. The report that their guide had given was that it was an error on Shiro’s part, that he had stepped on the wrong outcropping of rock on the trail and tumbled down into a ravine to his death. Keith didn’t buy that story, he knew his Shiro and he knew that the man would never have been so stupid as to step on unstable ground. He was careful, and caring, and always made sure he came back to Keith at the end of the voyage.

 

   Just not this time.

 

    _If there is some other way to prove that I love you_

    _I swear I don’t know how_

    _You’ll never know if you don’t know now._

 

   The verses repeated, and Keith hummed quietly to himself. Every time he heard this song he thought of Shiro. You would think after a couple of years had passed, he would stop wishing for Shiro to appear at his door, but the man never did. And it didn’t stop Keith from hoping and waiting. It was the reason why he never left their small town, even though he didn’t really have any friends there and all of his acquaintances were his customers. He didn’t need anyone else, just himself and his thoughts of Shiro, and what they could have been.

       The record crackled again between songs, and _The White Cliffs of Dover_ came on. Keith’s heart ached every time he listened to the song, but he couldn’t resist it, no matter how much all his hope had left him.

 

      _there'll be bluebirds over_

      _the white cliffs of Dover_

      _tomorrow_

     _just you wait and see_

 

   The bell above the shop door rang as someone entered, but Keith stayed focused at his work desk, squinting into his spectacles to see the precise placement of the internal workings of the clock. It was a tricky one, but the customer who had brought it in was one of his best- paying customers, and he would do whatever he needed to keep them.

   “Be with you in a moment,” he called out over his shoulder, waving the tool in his hand at the customer. “Feel free to look around.”

   

    _there'll be love and laughter_

    _and peace ever after_

    _tomorrow_

    _when the world is free_

   

   There would be no love and laughter for him, not with Shiro gone.

   

    _the shepherd will tend his sheep_

    _the valley will bloom again_

    _and Jimmy will go to sleep_

    _in his own little room again_

   

   Keith set his tools down, eyes welling up. He did not need to feel like this right now, especially not with a customer in the shop. He rubbed roughly at his eyes, willing the tears away, and took a deep breath. Keith turned in his chair to greet the customer, a customer- ready smile on his face.

   “Alright, what can I do for —” His smile froze on his face.

   

   “...Shiro?”

   

        _there'll be bluebirds over_

        _The white cliffs of Dover_

        _Tomorrow_

        _Just you wait and see_


End file.
